Tuesday, in Lucasville Ohio, the execution of Joseph Lewis Clark, 57, was delayed for nearly 90 minutes as a state team worked to find a suitable vein for the lethal injection, finally succeeding at 11:26 am that day. Said prison spokeswoman Andrea Dean "This has never happened before". This seems an opportune moment to explain my issues with Capital Punishment.
First off, I don't believe a prosecution can establish guilt irrefutably enough to warrant a death-sentance. If you sentance someone to life-imprisonment, he can still be proven innocent. Not so much when he is dead. In the rare instances when it's an open-and-close case, we still shouldn't execute because it's better not to make exceptions to the rule.
Secondly, as illustrated above, Lethal Injection is essentially Cruel and Unusual punishment, and as I will cite below the above example is not an isolated incident, and Electrocution, Gassing and Hanging have a comparable capacity for gruesome failure, while beheading is generally not considered an option.
In my own opinion, the only humane form of execution is death by firing squad. Very little chance for error there.
Below are a list of botched executions:
Electrocutions:
Frank J. Coppola, 1982, Virginia
It took two 55-second jolts to kill Coppola, whose head and leg reputedly caught fire on the second jolt.
John Evans, 1983, Alabama
It took three jolts to kill Evans, and some flames were involved. The execution took 14 minutes, and left Evans' body blackened and smoking.
Alpha Otis Stephens, 1984, Georgia
There was a six-minute delay between the first and second jolt, during which Stephens struggled to breath.
William E. Vandiver, 1985, Indiana
The execution took 17 minutes and five jolts of electricity. Vandiver's attorney, Herbert Shapps, observed smoke and a burning smell, and called the execution "outrageous".
Horace Franklin Dunkins, Jr. 1989, Alabama
It took two jolts, nine minutes apart, to kill Dunkins. After the first jolt failed to kill Dunkins (who was mildly retarded), the captain of the prison-guard announced to the witnesses that "I believe we've got the jacks on wrong". The cables were reconnected, and Dunkins was successfully killed.
Jesse Joseph Tafaro, 1990, Florida
Three jolts were needed, and six-inch flames shot from his head during these jolts due to the use of a synthetic sponge, rather than the standard natural sponge.
Wilbert Lee Evans, 1990, Virginia
Blood burst from the left side of the mask covering Evans' face upon the first jolt, and he continued to moan until a second jolt was administered.
Pedro Medin, 1997, Florida
Foot-high flames shot out of Medin's head during the elctrocution, filling the room with a foul smell that caused officials to cut of the jolt prematurely. Medin continued to move and breath until the flames went out. Investigations revealed the cause was improper use of a synthetic sponge instead of a natural one (intended to conduct electricity).
Alan Lee Davis, 1999, Florida
"Before he was pronounced dead, the blood from his mouth had poured onto the collar of his white shirt" reported the Gainesville Sun "And the blood on his chest had spread to about the size of a dinner plate". Various witnesses called this scene "An act of torture".
Asphyxiation:
Jimmy Lee Gray, 1983, Mississipi
Officials had to clear the room eight minutes after the gas was released when Gray's desperate gasps for air repulsed the witnesses. Said attorney David Bruck "Gray died banging his head against a steel pole in the gas-chamber while the reporters counted his moans (eleven, according to the Associated Press)". Later, it was revealed that the executioner Barry Bruce was drunk at the time.
Donald Eugene Harding, 1992, Arizona
Death was not pronounced until ten and a half minutes after the cyanide tablets were dropped. During the execution Harding thrashed and struggled violently against the restraining straps. Television Journalist Cameron Harper said: "Obviously this man was suffering. This was a violent death... an ugly event. We put animals to death more humanely."
Lethal Injection:
Stephen Peter Morin, 1985, Texas
Waited to die for 45 minutes while medical personal prodded his arms and legs with needles before they found a suitable vein. The difficulty was caused by his history of drug abuse.
Randy Woolls, 1986, Texas
A drug addict, Woolls had to help medical personel find a suitable vein.
Elliot Rod Johnson, 1987, Texas
Because of collapsed veins the execution took an hour to complete.
Raymond Landry, 1988, Texas
Died 40 minutes after being strapped down, and 24 minutes after being injected, two minutes after the injection the syringe came out of Landry's arm, spraying the deadly chemicals towards the witnesses. It was reinserted behind a lowered curtain, and 22 minutes later he died.
Stephen McCoy, 1989, Texas
McCoy had such a violent reaction to the drugs (heaving chest, gasping, choking, back arching of the gurney etc.) that one of the witnesses fainted, knocking over another witness. "The drugs may have been administered in a heavier dose, or more rapidly than usual" admitted the Texas Attorney General.
Charles Walker, 1990, Illionois
A kink in the plastic tubing going into Walker's arm stopped the injection from reaching Walker as quickly as normal. In addition, the needle was inserted pointing at his fingers instead of his heart, prolonging the execution.
Rickey Ray Rector, 1992, Arkansas
It took medical staff more than 50 minutes to find a suitable vein in Rector's arm. Witnesses were kept behind drawn curtain but reported hearing eight loud moans during the process. During the ordeal Rector (who suffered from serious brain-damage) helped the medical personel find a vein.
Robyn Lee Parks, 1992 Oklahoma
Parks violently reacted to the injection, the muscles in his abdomen, jaw and neck spasming wildly for 45 seconds, and continued to gasp and gag for 11 minutes.
Billy Wayne White, 1992, Texas
White was pronouced dead 47 minutes after being strapped down, due to difficulty finding a vein. Eventually White attempted to assist the authorities find a vein.
Justin Lee May, 1992, Texas
May had a violent reaction to the drugs, "Gasping, Coughing and rearing against his restraints" according to Associated Press reporter Michael Graczyk.
John Wayne Gacy, 1994, Illinois
After the injection began, the chemicals unexpectedly solidified, clogging the IV tube. The execution team replaced the clogged tube in ten minutes, and the affair took a total of 18 minutes to complete. Aenesthesiologists blamed it on the inexperiance of prison officials.
Emmit Foster, 1995, Missouri
Seven minutes after injection, the flow of chemicals stopped. The blinds were dropped as, with Foster gasping, the Officials attempted to fix the problem. 20 minutes after the injection, Foster gasping all the while, it was determined that his restraints were too tight, and were cutting off the flow of Chemicals. Foster died 10 minutes after loosening them.
Scott Dawn Carpenter, 1997, Oklahoma
Carpenter was pronounced dead 11 minutes after the injection began, during which he was noted to have been gasping and shaking for eight minutes, followeed by "A gutteral sound and more gasping for air" untill he stopped moving three minutes later.
Joseph Cannon, 1998, Texas
After Cannon made his final statement the injection began. A vein in his arm collapsed and the needle popped out. Officials dropped a curtain to hide the process from the witnesses, reopening the view 15 minutes later, when a weeping Cannon made his second final statement and the process resumed.
Genero Ruiz Comacho, 1998, Texas
The execution was delayed some two hours due to problems finding suitable veins in Comacho's arms.
Roderick Abeyta, 1998, Nevada
It took 25 minutes for officials to find a suitable vein in Abeyta's arms.
Christina Marie Riggs, 2000, Arkansas
The execution was delayed for 18 minutes when officials failed to find suitable veins in Riggs' elbows. Finally Riggs agreed to the officials' requests to have the needles inserted in her wrists.
Bennie Demps, 2000, Florida
It took 33 minutes for techinicians to find suitable veins in Demps. "They butchered me back there," said Demps in his final statement "I was in a lot of pain. They cut me in the groin; They cut me in the leg. I was bleeding profusely. This is not an execution, it is a murder".
Claude Jones, 2000, Texas
Jones' execution was delayed 30 minutes while the execution "Team" struggled to insert an I.V. into a vein. One member of the team commented "They had to stick him about five times. They finally put it in his leg".
Bert Leroy Hunter, 2000, Missouri
Hunter reacted unusually to the drugs, coughing and gasping for air. "He had violent convulsions; His head an chest jerked up off the gurney, then he lay back down. His body convulsed back and forth like this repeatedly... He suffered a violent and agonizing death" said an attorney who witnessed the execution.
Jose High, 2001, Georgia
High died one hour and nine minutes after the execution began. The EMTs under contract to do the execution searched for a vein for 39 minutes, before giving up and inserting an I.V. into High's hand, and a physician was called in to insert another in between his shoulder and neck.
Note: The list of sources for these executions is, obviously, quite exaustive. I found them in the book "Disinformation: Book of Lists" by Russ Kick. He gives his sources, and if anyone wants them, ask in the comments, and maybe I'll make a whole post for the sources.
First off, I don't believe a prosecution can establish guilt irrefutably enough to warrant a death-sentance. If you sentance someone to life-imprisonment, he can still be proven innocent. Not so much when he is dead. In the rare instances when it's an open-and-close case, we still shouldn't execute because it's better not to make exceptions to the rule.
Secondly, as illustrated above, Lethal Injection is essentially Cruel and Unusual punishment, and as I will cite below the above example is not an isolated incident, and Electrocution, Gassing and Hanging have a comparable capacity for gruesome failure, while beheading is generally not considered an option.
In my own opinion, the only humane form of execution is death by firing squad. Very little chance for error there.
Below are a list of botched executions:
Electrocutions:
Frank J. Coppola, 1982, Virginia
It took two 55-second jolts to kill Coppola, whose head and leg reputedly caught fire on the second jolt.
John Evans, 1983, Alabama
It took three jolts to kill Evans, and some flames were involved. The execution took 14 minutes, and left Evans' body blackened and smoking.
Alpha Otis Stephens, 1984, Georgia
There was a six-minute delay between the first and second jolt, during which Stephens struggled to breath.
William E. Vandiver, 1985, Indiana
The execution took 17 minutes and five jolts of electricity. Vandiver's attorney, Herbert Shapps, observed smoke and a burning smell, and called the execution "outrageous".
Horace Franklin Dunkins, Jr. 1989, Alabama
It took two jolts, nine minutes apart, to kill Dunkins. After the first jolt failed to kill Dunkins (who was mildly retarded), the captain of the prison-guard announced to the witnesses that "I believe we've got the jacks on wrong". The cables were reconnected, and Dunkins was successfully killed.
Jesse Joseph Tafaro, 1990, Florida
Three jolts were needed, and six-inch flames shot from his head during these jolts due to the use of a synthetic sponge, rather than the standard natural sponge.
Wilbert Lee Evans, 1990, Virginia
Blood burst from the left side of the mask covering Evans' face upon the first jolt, and he continued to moan until a second jolt was administered.
Pedro Medin, 1997, Florida
Foot-high flames shot out of Medin's head during the elctrocution, filling the room with a foul smell that caused officials to cut of the jolt prematurely. Medin continued to move and breath until the flames went out. Investigations revealed the cause was improper use of a synthetic sponge instead of a natural one (intended to conduct electricity).
Alan Lee Davis, 1999, Florida
"Before he was pronounced dead, the blood from his mouth had poured onto the collar of his white shirt" reported the Gainesville Sun "And the blood on his chest had spread to about the size of a dinner plate". Various witnesses called this scene "An act of torture".
Asphyxiation:
Jimmy Lee Gray, 1983, Mississipi
Officials had to clear the room eight minutes after the gas was released when Gray's desperate gasps for air repulsed the witnesses. Said attorney David Bruck "Gray died banging his head against a steel pole in the gas-chamber while the reporters counted his moans (eleven, according to the Associated Press)". Later, it was revealed that the executioner Barry Bruce was drunk at the time.
Donald Eugene Harding, 1992, Arizona
Death was not pronounced until ten and a half minutes after the cyanide tablets were dropped. During the execution Harding thrashed and struggled violently against the restraining straps. Television Journalist Cameron Harper said: "Obviously this man was suffering. This was a violent death... an ugly event. We put animals to death more humanely."
Lethal Injection:
Stephen Peter Morin, 1985, Texas
Waited to die for 45 minutes while medical personal prodded his arms and legs with needles before they found a suitable vein. The difficulty was caused by his history of drug abuse.
Randy Woolls, 1986, Texas
A drug addict, Woolls had to help medical personel find a suitable vein.
Elliot Rod Johnson, 1987, Texas
Because of collapsed veins the execution took an hour to complete.
Raymond Landry, 1988, Texas
Died 40 minutes after being strapped down, and 24 minutes after being injected, two minutes after the injection the syringe came out of Landry's arm, spraying the deadly chemicals towards the witnesses. It was reinserted behind a lowered curtain, and 22 minutes later he died.
Stephen McCoy, 1989, Texas
McCoy had such a violent reaction to the drugs (heaving chest, gasping, choking, back arching of the gurney etc.) that one of the witnesses fainted, knocking over another witness. "The drugs may have been administered in a heavier dose, or more rapidly than usual" admitted the Texas Attorney General.
Charles Walker, 1990, Illionois
A kink in the plastic tubing going into Walker's arm stopped the injection from reaching Walker as quickly as normal. In addition, the needle was inserted pointing at his fingers instead of his heart, prolonging the execution.
Rickey Ray Rector, 1992, Arkansas
It took medical staff more than 50 minutes to find a suitable vein in Rector's arm. Witnesses were kept behind drawn curtain but reported hearing eight loud moans during the process. During the ordeal Rector (who suffered from serious brain-damage) helped the medical personel find a vein.
Robyn Lee Parks, 1992 Oklahoma
Parks violently reacted to the injection, the muscles in his abdomen, jaw and neck spasming wildly for 45 seconds, and continued to gasp and gag for 11 minutes.
Billy Wayne White, 1992, Texas
White was pronouced dead 47 minutes after being strapped down, due to difficulty finding a vein. Eventually White attempted to assist the authorities find a vein.
Justin Lee May, 1992, Texas
May had a violent reaction to the drugs, "Gasping, Coughing and rearing against his restraints" according to Associated Press reporter Michael Graczyk.
John Wayne Gacy, 1994, Illinois
After the injection began, the chemicals unexpectedly solidified, clogging the IV tube. The execution team replaced the clogged tube in ten minutes, and the affair took a total of 18 minutes to complete. Aenesthesiologists blamed it on the inexperiance of prison officials.
Emmit Foster, 1995, Missouri
Seven minutes after injection, the flow of chemicals stopped. The blinds were dropped as, with Foster gasping, the Officials attempted to fix the problem. 20 minutes after the injection, Foster gasping all the while, it was determined that his restraints were too tight, and were cutting off the flow of Chemicals. Foster died 10 minutes after loosening them.
Scott Dawn Carpenter, 1997, Oklahoma
Carpenter was pronounced dead 11 minutes after the injection began, during which he was noted to have been gasping and shaking for eight minutes, followeed by "A gutteral sound and more gasping for air" untill he stopped moving three minutes later.
Joseph Cannon, 1998, Texas
After Cannon made his final statement the injection began. A vein in his arm collapsed and the needle popped out. Officials dropped a curtain to hide the process from the witnesses, reopening the view 15 minutes later, when a weeping Cannon made his second final statement and the process resumed.
Genero Ruiz Comacho, 1998, Texas
The execution was delayed some two hours due to problems finding suitable veins in Comacho's arms.
Roderick Abeyta, 1998, Nevada
It took 25 minutes for officials to find a suitable vein in Abeyta's arms.
Christina Marie Riggs, 2000, Arkansas
The execution was delayed for 18 minutes when officials failed to find suitable veins in Riggs' elbows. Finally Riggs agreed to the officials' requests to have the needles inserted in her wrists.
Bennie Demps, 2000, Florida
It took 33 minutes for techinicians to find suitable veins in Demps. "They butchered me back there," said Demps in his final statement "I was in a lot of pain. They cut me in the groin; They cut me in the leg. I was bleeding profusely. This is not an execution, it is a murder".
Claude Jones, 2000, Texas
Jones' execution was delayed 30 minutes while the execution "Team" struggled to insert an I.V. into a vein. One member of the team commented "They had to stick him about five times. They finally put it in his leg".
Bert Leroy Hunter, 2000, Missouri
Hunter reacted unusually to the drugs, coughing and gasping for air. "He had violent convulsions; His head an chest jerked up off the gurney, then he lay back down. His body convulsed back and forth like this repeatedly... He suffered a violent and agonizing death" said an attorney who witnessed the execution.
Jose High, 2001, Georgia
High died one hour and nine minutes after the execution began. The EMTs under contract to do the execution searched for a vein for 39 minutes, before giving up and inserting an I.V. into High's hand, and a physician was called in to insert another in between his shoulder and neck.
Note: The list of sources for these executions is, obviously, quite exaustive. I found them in the book "Disinformation: Book of Lists" by Russ Kick. He gives his sources, and if anyone wants them, ask in the comments, and maybe I'll make a whole post for the sources.
posted by Kristoffer V | 8:42 AM
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